Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas 2012!

We had a great Christmas and loved having a white one for 2nd time in three years!

We spent Christmas Eve with my parents, then hosted Christmas with Jared's family at our house the next day! On the day after Christmas we spent the morning enjoying the snow and Mason got to go sledding for the first time!


Connor trying out his Christmas pj's

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Opening presents at Mimi and Papaws!
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Connor got a rocking horse from my parents and you can tell by this picture how he felt about it!

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Mason in his personalized Pirate gear to match his pirate book!

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On Christmas morning the boys couldn't wait to see what Santa had brought them!

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Jared with his brothers
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The Sister in laws!
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Just as we set down to eat, the snow started falling! SO fun!
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 Day after Christmas fun!
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Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Kauai Trip: Days 6 and 7

Day 6:

We started out our day by driving to the opposite side of the island. Kauai is a small island but because the northwestern part of it is so mountainous, there is not a road that goes completely around it. So to get to this part of the island, we had to drive almost completely around the island just to get to a spot that on the map was fairly close to where we were staying!

Everyone had told us that we had to see Waimea Canyon. It is called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and was amazing!


Here's a picture on the drive up!

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When we got to the top it was beautiful but soooo cold and windy!

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On the way back down, we stopped at Island Taco for lunch. I had read some amazing reviews on this place before we came so couldn't wait to try it! It was one of the best and also least expensive meals we had!

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Then we checked out nearby Salt Pond beach! This was probably my favorite beach. It had a protected swimming area and was soooo calm and shallow with crystal clear water. A great last beach to visit!

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Mason loved jumping in

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Love these pictures of Jared and Mason

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Day 7: We were sooooo sad for our last day. We truly had a such a great time and did not want to leave! We had a evening flight out that night so we did have a little more time to enjoy the island though!

 Connor on the last morning in our condo

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 One last amazing north shore view!

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Then we stopped to eat lunch at this farmer's market!
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There are no cashiers and you pay by the honor system, just putting money in a jar!

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Fresh leis!
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The owner's bike filled with coconuts!
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Then we headed to Lihue, the biggest town on Kauai. We visited the Kauai Museum and also saw some neat buildings.

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There were gorgeous old churches all over the island. This was one of my favorites.
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Finally it was time to head to the airport. We are so thankful for such a wonderful week with great memories! See you next time Kauai!!

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Kauai Trip: Day 4 and 5

Day 4 We started out the day by visiting a nearby garden. It was quite the adventure climbing up the hill and dodging the frequent rain but it was beautiful!!
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Afterwards we headed out to a local horse ranch to let the boys ride! Mason has always been into cowboys and Connor is completely over the moon obsessed with horses. We knew this would be a neat opportunity for them!

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Day 5 Day 5 we spent the first part of the day kayaking down a river! The kids did soooo good. Mason sat in the middle in between us and Connor sat (somehow perfectly still) in my lap. Mason still says that the "boat ride" was his favorite part of the trip! I didn't get any pictures while we were on the kayak but here are a couple before we left!

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We stopped at this beautiful spot mid-trip!

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After the kayak ride, we took a bike ride down the coast! We attached a trailer to Jared's bike for the boys and they napped while we enjoyed the ride! I wish I had some pictures of the scenery from the ride but didn't have my camera. :-( Finally, we checked out nearby Lydate Beach. It has an area enclosed by rocks that makes it completely calm to swim in and also has an adjacent playground! So much fun!
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Connor's face every time he got knocked down by a wave....LOL priceless!

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